In most of our previous conversations Blair had been calm, cool, very much the well-informed unemotional analyst, comfortable talking the jargon of the nuclear command and control community from which he came.

The American Urological Association said Friday it would continue to recommend PSA screening "for well-informed men who wish to pursue early diagnosis," but it added that any such discussions should include "the risks of over-detection and overtreatment" and make clear that "active surveillance" was also an option.